HOME ONE's main conference room was nearly filled to capacity with the Alliance leaders that had been called to an emergency meeting by Mon Mothma. The stark, sterile assembly room was filled with the low buzz of polite conversation as Rebels took their various seats around long, white tables.



Outside the main viewports at the front of the room hung a sapphire blue world, brilliant against its ebony backdrop of stars. The planet was called Tangrenenarr—a wildly untamed, un-colonized Eden of feral beauty. It was a beauty that was just as dangerous as it was breathtaking, and it was now to be the temporary home of the Rebel Alliance until they could establish a proper place to head up a new government. There had always been a string of different planets that the Rebels had had prepared to flee to, once the Empire had found their existing hiding places. Running had just been a fact of life, but hopefully that was soon going to change forever.



In the few short hours that they'd been in this system, a lot had been accomplished down on the surface, but Leia had yet to be groundside and see any of it. She shuffled several of the documents in front of her, as she sat down, scanning over the reports and tapping several keys on her datapad. She'd been incredibly busy recently, and knew the others must be just as much or more so. She couldn't help but wonder with a little bit of trepidation what was so important that the Alliance brass would make them drop everything to be here.



"I apologize for the brief notice you were all given in order to attend this meeting," Mon Mothma spoke gravely, rising to stand. Her audience quieted, giving her their attention. Leia reluctantly tore her eyes away from the report in her hands and brought her mind back to the present, watching the Alliance leader uncharacteristically standing with her hands clenched at her side, her knuckles white. "And I know how extraordinarily busy you all are, but I thank you for your attendance. I promise to be very brief."



Leia glanced over at Han, seated a couple tables away, next to Lando Calrissian who managed to be bearing a concerned and attentive look on his face. Solo caught her eye and flashed her a wide grin. She smiled quickly back and, suddenly self-conscious, turned to face the speaker again.



Mon Mothma looked haggard and worn, her shoulders sloped, her brown eyes tired and bloodshot. Leia wondered how she had not noticed this before. Trying to establish a new government seemed to have been especially hard on her of late. The gaze of the poised Rebel leader flickered across the room to the many people seated at the tables. "The subject is a matter of supreme importance," she told them quietly. A still silence had settled on the room. "And I'm afraid I will have to be the bearer of some rather troubling news."



Leia's eyes flickered to General Rieekan, seated near Mon Mothma. His gaze was fixed on the center of the table, brow furrowed. "In the chaos of recovering from the Endor battle, and relocating to a new base, several rumors regarding the state and whereabouts of the remains of the Empire have been reported and have circulated over the past several weeks."



Mon Mothma's forehead crinkled with worry lines as her eyes went to her datapad on the table. "In regard to one such rumor, we have finally been able to verify the legitimacy of these reports." Troubled eyes met those of her silent audience.



"It has been confirmed," she said slowly, "that contrary to popular opinion, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader were not killed aboard the second Death Star. Reports are that they both survived the battle of Endor."



The conference room erupted into a shocked cacophony of noise all around her, as Leia felt like she'd just been kicked in the stomach. She felt bile rise in her throat, and blood pounding in her ears. She looked across the room into Han's equally stunned expression, her thoughts reeling. How could this be true? She wondered in shock. Had the battle of Endor been for nothing? Was the Rebellion never to succeed? And worst of all, she thought darkly, all those lives so casually lost for the sake of their freedom—were those deaths only a senseless waste?



Tears of anger and frustration rose in her throat, blending in with the enraged fury of the crowd as she realized with a mixture of horror and grief that, among other things, her personal nightmare was not over. The nightmare that Darth Vader was her…



No. She would not think of him in that way. Ever. Perhaps Luke could accept Vader as their father, but she would not. And as far as she knew—hoped—Vader had no knowledge of her as his daughter. He would not know—no one would ever know. She could put this horrifying truth behind her as if it didn't exist and try to go on with her life.



As her hands swiped at her eyes, Leia realized she was getting hysterical, and forced herself to calm down. She felt numb all over, not even hearing Mon Mothma's last words as the Alliance leader tried to quiet them.



"I am very sorry to bring you this news," she apologized, the defeat dulling her eyes as she addressed them. "It appears that the head of the Empire has not been cut off after all, and that Coruscant, as well as much of the rest of the galaxy, are still under strong Imperial rule. But, as before, the war continues. Tangrenenarr looks as if it will be more of a permanent base than we had originally anticipated. But we shall not lose hope that the Alliance shall eventually prevail in this continuous battle against tyranny—if not for our freedom, then the freedom of our posterity. We must never give up." She cast a quick glance at her advisers, sitting grimly in front of her, and then her tired smile encompassed the whole room. "Thank you for attending. This news will travel down the normal Alliance hierarchy. I will now release you to the unpleasant duty of informing your people. This meeting is adjourned."



The room erupted into chaos; chairs being shoved back, exclamations of disbelief and anger and frustration across the room. Leia remained in her seat, her gaze fixed blankly on the view of space, her thoughts a churning maelstrom. It wasn't until a dark mass obscured her vision that she actually focused on it and realized it was Han, hands on hips, eyeing her with a worried scowl.



"Hey, princess," he waved a hand in front of her vacant stare. "You awake?"



Their eyes met and she pursed her lips, her hands clenching into tight, useless fists. "Yes I'm awake," she sighed tiredly. "I only wish I were dreaming."



Wordlessly, Solo offered his hand, and she silently blessed him for being there when she needed him. "It's a rough blow," she murmured, grateful for his support as she rose to her feet. "But I suppose we'll bounce back from this one just like we have the others." She tried offering a wan smile. Half-heartedly, Solo returned it, his arm slipping down around her shoulders. He hugged her close, and kissed the top of her head.



"C'mon, hon. Let's go."



******